Interventions to Support Substance Use Recovery Among Human Trafficking Survivors: A Scoping Review.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Addiction Medicine
• Trauma-Informed Care

Background:

• Substance use disorder (SUD) and substance misuse are prevalent among survivors of human trafficking.
• Existing research on interventions for SUD in this population is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and review empirical research on substance use treatment, harm reduction, and recovery support services for survivors of human trafficking.
• To assess the current state of evidence regarding interventions for SUD in trafficked individuals.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases (Ovid-Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science).
• Forward and backward citation searching was employed to identify relevant studies.
• Data extraction and narrative summarization were performed by two independent reviewers.

Main Results:

• Six studies published between 2010 and 2025 met the inclusion criteria.
• Interventions included specialty court programs and multi-modal community-based services in the US and Israel.
• Substance use outcomes were measured using self-report, case manager ratings, and case records.

Conclusions:

• There is a scarcity of research evaluating substance use outcomes for human trafficking survivors in treatment programs.
• Standardized assessments for substance use and related problems were infrequently utilized.
• Further evaluation of evidence-based psychosocial interventions is needed to support SUD recovery in this vulnerable group.